If we make it to the next stage (IOF Senior Event Advisor visit) we will seek sensible agreements on access. I already had a couple of concessions from the Chair of the Foot Orienteering Commission (just look at the WOC 2020 embargos) http://orienteering.org/embargo-for-urban-woc-2020/

Fac et Spera. Views expressed are not necessarily those of the SOA Events Manager

LH had represented the IOF at• A meeting with the Russian OF President and the Governor of VladimirRegion in Russia 26-28.10.2017, regarding a potential application for theSprint WOC 2022.

Looks like the Russians are out of the 2022 bidding.

From the IOC board meeting in April...

Russia had submitted applications for WOC 2022 and ESOC 2020. These applications could not be accepted due to the provisions in the World Anti- Doping Code (§20.3.11) which stated that applications for international events could not be accepted from nations where the National Anti-Doping Organisation (NADO) was deemed non-compliant. The application for WOC 2022 was also valid for WOC 2024. Council noted that this application could be considered once the Russian NADO was compliant again if requested by the Russian Orienteering Federation. Note: TK was not present during the discussion of this item.

Zut alors. Russia is out but France is in at this stage. We are now waiting to hear by the end of this month as to whether they want to take our bid (and/or the French bid) through to the next stage (site visits). If anyone can find out information about the French proposal e.g. embargo areas it would all help. Please contact me by email colin.matheson "@" scottish-orienteering.org rather than PM in Nopesport.

Fac et Spera. Views expressed are not necessarily those of the SOA Events Manager

From information on the FFCO website, France appear to be linking their bid with an attempt to get orienteering into the 2024 Paris Olympics. Irrespective of whether the latter is ultimately successful, I can see that proposal being quite attractive to some people.

Fingers crossed for a WTOC in conjunction with WOC 2022 ... it was gutting not to be able to compete in front of a home crowd at 2015 (WTOC 2012 was great, but a separate WTOC never has the same big event atmosphere as a joint WOC/WTOC).

Of course how Sprint vs Forest WOCs fit with WTOC in the future remains to be seen.

Maybe Latvia this year will be the last time they are co-located, next chance is 2021 in CZE.

JK wrote:Fingers crossed for a WTOC in conjunction with WOC 2022 ... it was gutting not to be able to compete in front of a home crowd at 2015 (WTOC 2012 was great, but a separate WTOC never has the same big event atmosphere as a joint WOC/WTOC).

Of course how Sprint vs Forest WOCs fit with WTOC in the future remains to be seen.

Maybe Latvia this year will be the last time they are co-located, next chance is 2021 in CZE.

Just out of interest what's the argument for having WTOC in conjunction with WOC, any more than say the MTBO or Ski o world champs. Orienteering without the physical fitness aspect seems to me to be a completely different challenge. Is it mainly to do with inclusiveness and disability?

andypat wrote:Just out of interest what's the argument for having WTOC in conjunction with WOC, any more than say the MTBO or Ski o world champs. Orienteering without the physical fitness aspect seems to me to be a completely different challenge. Is it mainly to do with inclusiveness and disability?

Good question - TBH I don't know. You certain feel more part of a big event when everyone is there together, but I guess IOF have had their reasons in the past.

I'm afraid I don't recall when Thierry Gueorgiou won the European Trail Orienteering Champs in 2006 whether it was co-located or not

The pattern is that the WOCs that declined to do TrailO were: EST, SUI and GBR - of which only GBR had any history of TrailO and, in any case, had done a great job organising WTOC 2012 not long beforehand.

The extra infrastructure also increases the chances of press coverage, TV etc

Neither WTOC or ETOC has (to my knowledge) been held alongside the equivalent MTB Orienteering once. It has never been held alongside a regional or world SkiO (some of the TrailO guys are in wheelchairs and can't do much to keep themselves warm so it wouldn't be good for them, never mind the fact that the awesome tracks we have for TrailO in Scandinavia are often tarmac trails that have snow on in winter so it would be a poor combination).

Neither WTOC or ETOC has (to my knowledge) been held alongside the equivalent MTB Orienteering

MTBO & TrailO have been co-located once - A World Champs In Joensuu, Finland in 2006, although fortunately we only shared a forest simultaneously on one day. I remember being stopped by a German MTBO competitor, a young lady, as I was studying a control cluster, and asked if I could show her where she was on her map!

I also recall Dave Gittus, who won the Para Gold medal, being very nearly taken out by a rider as he walked backwards from a viewing point to get a better look at one of the clusters.

Neither WTOC or ETOC has (to my knowledge) been held alongside the equivalent MTB Orienteering

MTBO & TrailO have been co-located once - A World Champs In Joensuu, Finland in 2006, although fortunately we only shared a forest simultaneously on one day. I remember being stopped by a German MTBO competitor, a young lady, as I was studying a control cluster, and asked if I could show her where she was on her map!

I also recall Dave Gittus, who won the Para Gold medal, being very nearly taken out by a rider as he walked backwards from a viewing point to get a better look at one of the clusters.

Actually I knew that, tried to say that and failed miserably (although I had thought it ETOC not WTOC), but I have no idea why I wrote that above!IMO the level of "co-location" above is a step too far - co-location with some segregation would be better.